Holder for caskets or the like



ly 1940- D s. BREEDEN 2,205,762

HOLDER FOR GASKETS OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 12, 1938 Patented July 2, 1940 UNITED X STATES PATENT OFFICE t j 2,206,762 -HOLDER FOR GASKETS on THE LIKE t I Dude s. Breeden, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application October 12, 1938, Serial No. 234,627

2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a holder and, particularly, to a device ofthis character adapted to hold a casket on the supporting platform of a hearse.

Hearse platforms are usually provided with rollers to facilitate the placing of caskets thereon and their removal therefrom. It has been the practice heretofore to hold the casket in place on the platform by pins removably inserted in one of a row of sockets in the platform at each end and on each side of the casket. Such means for positioning the casket permit considerable movement of the latter particularly 'when the hearse is travelling over a rough road or up and. down hill. It is practically impossible, with such holding devices, to prevent marringor. denting of theedges of the casket and there have been cases in which the rear holding pin hasbeen snapped off by the impact of the casket thereon and the casket itself dumped outon the ground. I have invented anovel holding mechanism particularly suited for securing caskets on hearse platformswhich prevents any possibility of marring the casket and absolutely precludes movement of the casket duringtransportation in the hearse. In a preferred form the invention'com prises a pair of abutments eachhaving a post insertible into one of the sockets with which hearse platforms. are usually providedat each i end of the normal position of l a casket thereon. One of the abutments is adjustable relative to its post and both abutments are provided with a casket engagingsurface. composed of yieldable vacuum gripping material. By this means, when a the adjustable clamp is tightened, the casket is held positively against movement in any direction. A complete understanding of the invention may be gained from thefollowing detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a hearse platform illustrating the manner of using the invention to secure a casket thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation to enlarged scale partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the forward abutment;

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 5 is an elevation ofthe rear abutment;

Fig. 6 is a side View thereof;

Fig. '7 is a view partly in section illustrating a modified construction; and l Fig. 8 is a side elevation taken. substantially at right angles to Fig. 7.

Refe ing now in de a to the drawing, a hearse platform 10 has rollers II mounted therein and projecting slightly above the surface thereof to facilitate the placing of a casket I 2 thereon.

While the disposition of the rollers ll illustrated.

ets l3. The reduced end portion of the post is slotted as at l8 to permit contractionthereof when inserted in the socket. A rear abutment [9 includes a post 20 having a reduced lower end portion 2 l l which fits loosely in the sockets I3. A spring pressed ball 22 mounted in a transverse 28 to the platen.

the plate 23 of the rearward abutment have a layer of yieldable vacuum grip material secured thereto as indicated at 29. This material may conveniently be sponge rubber having a plurality of small depressions or pocks formed in its surface. These depressions constitute vacuum gripping surfaces when the abutments are pressed against any surface engaged thereby.

The manner of using the holding device will doubtless be understood from the foregoing. The forwardabutment I4 is positioned in a socket chosen so as to position the casket substantially centrally of the length of the platform ID. The frictional fit between the reduced lower end portion [1 and the socket prevents turning of the abutment by the vibration to which a hearse is subjected when once it hasbeen properly positioned, so that when a casket is moved into the hearse the gripping surface will face the casket. After the casket has been. placed and moved forward along the platform until it engages the forward abutment the rear abutment is positioned with the reduced lower end portion 2| of its bore in the reduced lower end portion of the.

Both the plate I5 of the forward abutment and post 20 in one of the sockets adjacent the rear end of the platform. The reduced end portion 2| of the post 2|] is of slightlysrnaller diameter than the reduced portion ll of the post it to permit easy insertion in the socket. The screw 26 is then turned until the yieldable plate 29 thereof engages the casket. A few additional turns of the screw cause the layers 29 of the two abutments to engage the casket firmly. The posts may rotate slightly if necessary to cause the gripping surfaces to square up with the ends of the casket and thus bear uniformly thereagainst throughout the width of the abutments.v

For easy manipulation the screw 26 is provided with a knurled head or knobfifi but any other ward and rear abutments engaging a relatively, broad edge portion of the casket l2, I have found that the gripping action of the abutments is substantially the same even where a relatively narrow edge bead is presented thereto.

It will be apparent that the invention is characterized by numerous advantages over the devices of similar nature employed heretofore. It prevents any movement of the casket during transportation and, thereby eliminates marring or denting of caskets whether of wood or metal. At the same time,'the parts. involved are of simple construction and are inconspicuous in appearance. They may also be finished to'harmonize .with the other metal fittings of the casket and hearse. Vfhile I have shown the shanks-or reduced end portions of the posts as circular in section, it will be understood that they may also be made 'of square section for cooperation with hearse platforms having square sockets.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 7 and- 8. In accordance with this modification the post "20 isslotted as at 3! to receive a half nut 32 slidable therein. The post also-has a smooth bore .21 for receiving the screw 26. A cam 33 is pivotally mounted in the slot 3| and has an actuating lever 34 formed thereon whereby when the lever is raised and the half nut lowered, the screw maybe advanced freely through the bore 27. When thclayer 29 has engaged the edge of the casket, the lever 34 is pressed down to force the half nut into engagement with the screw whereupon further'turning of the screw forces the rear abutment-firmly against the casket; By

this modification, the operation of locking the also useful for handling other similar articles,

e.g., grave vaults, or the like. The cooperating abutmentsyfurthermore, may be disposed on 0ppositesidesofthe casket as well as or instead of at opposite ends thereof.

I claim: i

1. Holding means for caskets or the like com prising a pair of abutments each mounted on a post insertable into one of a plurality of sockets in a casket support, said abutments having a compressible face and a width several times that of said posts providing an extensive bearing surface for engagement with the casket, one of said abutments having guide rods slidable through its post toward and from a casket disposed between the abutments, and means for advancing and retracting said one of said abutments, the said abutments being rotatable in said sockets, whereby the abutments will square up with the casket when the one abutment is advanced to clamp the casket and hold the same against both longitudinal and lateral movement.

2. Casket clamping means or the likefcomprising a post havingspaced transverse holes therethrough, a clamping plate several times as wide as saidpost and having a compressible face providing an extensive casket-engaging surface, said plate having guide rods extending rearwardly therefrom and through said holes whereby said plate is slidably supported on said post, and a screw threaded through said post and swiveled to said plate whereby the plate may be advanced and retracted, the said post having its lower end formed to enter a socket in a casket support and adapted for rotation therein, whereby when said means is usedwith a similar clamping means mounted in a casket support, the plate will square up with the casket when the plate is advanced to clamp the casket, and will hold the same against both longitudinal and lateral movement.

- DUDE S. BREEDEN. 

